The President" s Address. By L. S. Beale, F.B.S. 185 



When a particle of living matter is increasing in size — is 

 growing by taking lifeless matter into its substance, and, without 

 itself losing anything, is communicating to certain of the elements of 

 this non-living matter, or to combinations of these, the marvellous 

 powers it possesses — movements take place, it may be in every part 

 of the original mass. These movements are, however, always 

 most observable, most active, and most extensive at some part of the 

 circumference. Occurring now on one side, now on the opposite, 

 it is very improbable that the movements in question are deter- 

 mined by any changes occurring in, or by force belonging to, any 

 non-living matter m the vicinity of the living mass. These 

 remarkable movements are universal in the world of life. They 

 are more accelerated in some kinds of living matter than in others, 

 but they are present in all, and in most are discernible at some time 

 or other during the course of existence. Parts of the living matter 

 continually tend to move away and separate from the rest, not in 

 consequence of any attraction between these and surrounding 

 matters outside, nor from any repelling influence exerted by parts 

 of the mass itself upon other parts. There seems to be an active 

 tendency on the part of different portions of a living mass to move 

 away from the rest and so to detach themselves, and, having acquired 

 vital power, to become independent, and to increase and then 

 divide. This remarkable tendency on the part of every kind of 

 living matter to divide and subdivide begins to operate as soon as 

 the original mass has attained a certain size, and it seems to 

 increase in intensity as the living matter approaches its proper 

 dimensions. Invariably when a certain size has been reached, 

 which, however, is different for different kinds of living matter, 

 division occurs. The size is always, within certain very moderate 

 limits, fixed and definite for the living matter of each particular 

 species of living being. Among the lowest forms of existence, how- 

 ever, no definite limit of size has to be attained before division can 

 occur. Particles smaller than the smallest particles that can be 

 seen with the aid of the highest magnifying powers freely divide 

 and subdivide, and there is reason to think that under certain con- 

 ditions the division and infinite multiplication of the animate 

 particles may continue for a considerable time, none of them 

 attaining their fully developed form or dimensions. In higher 

 forms of life, premature division of a living mass before it has 

 grown for a proper time and reached a certain size, is very detri- 

 mental, and in many cases disastrous ; for it is associated with 

 degradation or even complete loss of formative, constructive, and 

 developmental power. In some cases, by the rapid multiplication 

 and division of the particles, the well-being of the whole organism 

 is jeopardised, and death may be occasioned by the changes brought 

 about by great increase and rapid growth and multiplication of 



